Ring tensioner

ABSTRACT

A device for imparting tension to a moving line of textile material consists of a rectangular body having a guide eye at either end to guide the textile material longitudinally through the body. A plurality of rings are disposed in spaced relation longitudinally within the body. The rings are designed to hang on the textile material passing through the body and thereby impart tension to it. Means are provided for adjusting the position of the body in several planes. The construction of the body is likewise changed in alternate embodiments to provide a means for varying the tension on the textile material by controlling the position of the rings and their coaction with the body. In still further embodiments, elements are added to the body to engage and coact with the rings to dampen their movement.

United States Patent [72] Inventor John Cocker, 111

Box 235, Clover, S.C. 28057 [2]] Appl. No. 839,833 [22] Filed July 8,1969 [45] Patented June I, 1971 Continuation-impart of application Ser.No. 751,605, Aug. 6, 1968, now abandoned and a continuation-in-part of798,059, Feb. 10, 1969, now abandoned.

[54] RING TENSIONER 15 Claims, 16 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 242/153, 242/154 [51] lnt. Cl B65l1 59/26 [50] FieldotSearch 242/153, 154, 147

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,508,503 9/1924 Brown et al242/153X 2,618,445 11/1952 Buder 242/154 2,790,611 4/1957 Massey 242/1542,942,803 6/1960 Baumgardner 242/153 Primary Examiner-Stanley N.Gilreath AttorneyPaul & Paul ABSTRACT: A device for imparting tension toa moving line of textile material consists of a rectangular body havinga guide eye at either end to guide the textile material longitudinallythrough the body. A plurality of rings are disposed in spaced relationlongitudinally within the body. The rings are designed to hang on thetextile material passing through the body and thereby impart tension toit. Means are provided for adjusting the position of the body in severalplanes. The construction of the body is likewise changed in alternateembodiments to provide a means for varying the tension on the textilematerial by controlling the position of the rings and their coactionwith the body. In still further embodiments, elements are added to thebody to engage and coact with the rings to dampen their movement.

PATENTE'UJUN H971 3582.012

' SHEEIEUFS x. 225 23o l V INVENTOR. 229 John Cooker III Wv M ATTORNEYS.

PATEN'TED JUN 1 IHYI SHEET 3 OF 5 ATTORNEYS.

PATENTEU JUN Han 3582012 SHEET 0F 5 Fig. 12

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INVENTOR. John Cocker 11L BYMfw/Z/ ATTORNEYS.

PATENTEDJUN usn $582,012

' SHEU 5 OF 5 INVENTOR. John Cooker 111 Y M-PM ATTORNEYS RING TENSIONER:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS BACKGROUND OF THE- INVENTIONThis invention relates to a tensioner for a running strand of yarn orthe like, and more particularly to tensioner of the type sioner. Because7. of the many variables encountered in processing different types oftextile material at different speeds, it is desirableto have some meansof adjusting-the tension imparted to the material by the rings. Indeed,in actual operation the rings sometimes tend to jump and to rotate soviolently that. as a practical matter tension in the textile material isnot controlled at all.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a ring tensionerwhich does provide reliable and effective control under a variety ofoperating conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION I have provided an improved ring tensionercomprising a body having sidewalls including opposed slots for guiding aplurality of rings and variousmeans for affecting the tension impartedto the material by the rings, such. as, positioning the body to coactwith the rings, and changing the position of the body by pivoting itsaxially and/or transversely. In alternate embodiments, the walls and/orother parts of the body, and/or additional elements provide a dampingeffect on the rings.

Accordingly, another object of this invention is to provide an effectivemeans'for controlling-the movement of the rings in a ring tensioner andthereby to adjust the tension in the textile material being processed,within acceptable limits.

Another objectof this invention is to provide a means for aiding in thethreading of the tensioner- Another object is to provide a means forguiding the rings during the operation of the device.

These and otherobjects of the invention will become apparent from thefollowing description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a plan view of a ringtensioner in accordance with a preferred embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a portion of the device shown in FIG. I takenas indicated by the lines and arrowsll-Il;

FIG. 3 is a view takenas'indicated by the lines'and arrows III-III inFIG. I;

FIG. 4 is a view similar-to FIG. 3 showing a modified form of thedevice;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing a further modification;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a further alternateembodiment of my invention with the ring retaining means in the invertedposition? FIG. 7 is a plan view of a further alternate embodiment of myinvention;

FIG. 8 is a view taken as indicated by the lines and arrows VIII-VIII inFIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side view taken as indicated by the linesand arrows lX-IX inFIG. 7, 'with an alternate position 'shown in phantom;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a further alternateembodiment of my invention;

FIG. 11 is a view taken as indicated by the lines and arrows XI-XI inFIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 10 showing a further alternateembodiment of my invention;

FIG. I3 is a view taken as indicated by the lines and arrows XIIlXIII inFIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a view similar to the broken away portion of FIG. 12 shown insection, showing an alternate embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing a further alternateembodiment of my invention; and

FIG. 16 is a plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 15.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Although specific forms of theinvention have been selected for illustration in the drawings, and thefollowing description is drawn in specific terms for the purpose ofdescribing these forms of the invention, this description is notintended to limit the scope of the invention which is defined in theappended claims.

Referring to FIG. I, the ring tensioner in accordance with the preferredembodiment of my invention comprises a body designated generally 20which is adjustably mounted on any suitable support means 2ll by meansofa bracket 22 and a setscrew 23. The body 20 is supported by the flange24 of the bracket 22 in any suitable fashion, such as by machine screws25. The body is preferably made of plastic or similar lightweight hardmaterial. It includes a plurality of slots 26 each of which contains oneofa plurality of rings 27. The rings are ceramic or other suitablematerial well known in the art and are preferably circular in both crosssection and overall configuration. In addition, a plurality of spacerbars 28 can be provided as shown. It should be understood that thenumber of rings in a set or the number of sets in a particular tensionercan be varied within the scope of this invention without departing fromthe true spirit thereof. Accordingly, I shall describe in detail atensioner having only one set of eight rings.

These rings are disposed in the tensioner so as to be relatively freefloating; that is, while they are at times in contact with or engagedwith other parts of the device or the material passing therethrough,they are not fixedly connected to any part of the device. The rings,however, are spaced from one another, and are confined to move onlywithin the space laterally bounded by the slots 26. They are verticallycontrolled by the laterally extending retainer car 30 which isconveniently formed of a thin, lightweight strip of metal and extendsthrough the body 20 passing through the planes of the rings. Theretainer car 30 in this embodiment is preferably fixedly mounted in theend walls 31 and 32 of the body 20. The function of the retainer car 30is to provide a means for retaining the rings should the thread line 40break or run out.

Each end wall 31, 32 supports a thread guide or eye 33 and 34respectively, which is preferably made of a ceramic material, but can bemade of any suitable material as is well known in the art, for guidingthe textile material whether it be threaded, yarn, cord, or the likethrough the tensioner. Additional similar thread guides, 35 and 36 aremounted on flanges connected to the bracket 22 and preferably disposedat acute angles to the direction of travel of the textile materialthrough the ring portion of the tensioner. The guide 35 can beconveniently referred to as the balloon breaker eye since it isassociated with a relatively large, preferably circular, plastic disc38, known in the art as a balloon breaker, which is fixedly attached tothe flange 37 of the bracket 22 for the purpose of controlling andguiding the textile material as is well known in the art.

The textile material 40 is threaded through the device in the directionof the arrows, so that it passes through the rings. To

make it easy to accomplish this step, I have provided in the embodimentshown in FIG. 6, a body 20 having end walls 31 and 32 supported inadditional flanges 41 and 42 respectively which extend upwardly from thebracket 22 (not shown). The guide eyes 133 and 134 are extended to passthrough the flanges 41 and 42 respectively. In this embodiment the guideeyes must receive an external thread. Therefore it may be necessary tochange the material from ceramic to metallic or similar material, but itwill be understood that this is only one means of accomplishing thedesired result and is included here for illustrative purposes only. Thethreaded guide eyes receive wingnuts 135 and 136 which can be readilytightened or loosened manually. When the wingnuts are loosened the body20 can be revolved about the guide eyes 133 and 134 approximately 180from the position shown in FIG. 2. Of course, the flange 24 shown inFIG. 1 is eliminated in this embodiment to allow the body to be rotated.Furthermore, the body 20 is raised above the level ofthe bracket 22 sothat it can rotate and clear the base of the bracket.

When the body is rotated to the position shown in FIG. 6 the rings reston the retainer car 30. As is clear from the FIG. it is then possible tothread the textile material through the guide eyes and the rings withoutthe need for handling each of the rings individually to position themfor proper reception of the textile material. As shown the rings are inan arrested position slightly eccentric to the guide eyes 133 and 134.

In order to bring the rings into engagement with the textile material,the body 20 is again rotated 180 to a position similar to that shown inFIG. 2 wherein the rings are engaged with and hung by gravity from thetextile material 40. In such position, the rings exert a forcetransverse to the direction of travel of the textile material throughthe tensioner, and thereby impart a tension to the textile material.Should the material break or run out, the rings would drop onto theretainer car 30 as shown in phantom in FIG. 3. Once in the positionshown in FIG. 2 the wingnuts are tightened to once again maintain theposition of the body 20 with respect to the bracket 22.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, I shall now describe an alternate embodimentof my invention wherein means are provided for adjustably positioning(tilting) the body 20 about a transverse axis. In the FIGS. the flanges225, 226 extend upwardly from the base 227 which can be part of thebracket 22 or can be mounted thereon. The flanges support an overallboxlike frame 228 by means of studs 229 and wingnuts 230. The studs passthrough clearance holes in the sidewalls of the frame 228 so that whenthe wingnuts 230 are loosened, the frame 228 can be pivoted about thecoincident axes of the studs 229.

When this embodiment includes the rotation means shown in FIG. 6 at theend walls of the body 20, there is provided thereby a gimballike meansfor adjustably pivoting the body in two planes normal to one another.See FIG. 7. Such adjustment provides a degree of control of the movementof the rings within the body 20. As the body 20 is pivoted about itslongitudinal axis as shown by the phantom positions in FIG. 8, the ringstend to lay against the bottom of the slots in one sidewall or theother-whichever is lowermostthereby encountering friction with thewalls. Similarly when the body 20 is pivoted about its transverse axis(as shown in phantom in FIG. 9) the rings are urged by gravity towardand against the lowermost sides of the slots; once again encounteringfrictional resistance to movement. A change in material in either therings or the body or both could increase this frictional drag on therings. For example, the body could be made of hard rubber. To an extentthen, tilting adjustment of the body controls, changes and/or effectsthe tension imparted to the textile material by the rings. In the priorart, under certain conditions in the absence of such tilting adjustment,the jumping and rotating of the rings was so violent that, as apractical matter, tension in the textile material was not controlled atall. Accordingly, this added degree of control is very advantageous. Thefrictional load can be increased or decreased depending on the angle towhich the body is rotated.

Tilting the body so that the rings lay against the sides of the slots,as shown in FIG. 9, tends to inhibit the movement of the rings. Therings can be made to lay against the sides of the slots with the body inits normal horizontal position by provid ing slots in the body at anangle to the horizontal as shown in FIGS. and I6. In the elevation shownin FIG. 15 the plurality of slots are disposed at an angle in the bodydesignated generally 520 so that the plurality of rings engage thedownstream sides of the slots while they impart a tension to the line oftextile material moving in a horizontal path in the direction indicatedby the arrow. The body 520 is supported at one end only by a bronzebushing 533 passing through the end wall thereof and the upwardlyextending flange S41 and in threaded engagement with a nut 535. Onceagain a ceramic eyelet 522, 524 is provided at either end to guide thetextile material through the device. Just as in the embodiment shown inFIG. 6, the body 520 can be rotated about the axis of the bushing 533 toa plurality of positions such as those shown in phantom FIG. 8. Thisembodiment provides a variety of dampening effects wherein frictionalforces are applied to the rings as the coact with the sides and bottomsof the slots.

In the remaining FIGS. I have provided various other means for affectingthe freedom of travel of the rings in the restraining slots in thetensioner, which means involve exerting a drag or force to dampen themotion of the rings. In the configuration shown in FIG. 4 the sidewallsof the body 20 curve inwardly at both the tops and bottoms of the slots.These walls prevent full vertical travel of the rings at both the upperand lower ends of the slots (as shown by the phantom positions of therings), and thus the movement of the rings is limited or damped. Thereis no need for a retainer car 30 such as shown in FIG. 3, since therings cannot fall out of the tensioner body in any event. To permitinsertion of the rings into the slots, the body can conveniently besplit horizontally or vertically into halves which can then bereassembled after insertion of the rings.

Another means for damping the motion of the rings is shown in FIG. 5wherein the walls forming the slots have been segmented into separateportions as at 300, each of which is pivotally mounted about a pin 301mounted in the sidewall of the body 320. The pivotal portions arepreferably spring loaded as shown by the springs 302 which exert a forcebetween the base 303 and the ends 304 of the lever portions to force theother ends inwardly against the rings. The springs are convenientlyattached to the lever ends 304 to prevent disengagement when the ringsdrop to the retainer car 30. In order to make the forces exerted by theportions 300 on the rings adjustable, adjusting screws 305 are threadedthrough the base 303 and can be advanced or retracted in the base 303,thereby exerting a greater or lesser force on the springs.

Alternatively, the loading could be accomplished by lever and weightmeans (not shown) or magnetically, without departing from the true scopeof my invention.

A still further embodiment of my invention includes means for weightingthe rings and distributing the weight among the rings of the entire set.This is shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 wherein dampening bar 430 isfree-floating in slots 431, 432 in the end walls of the body 420. Thebar is conveniently rectangular in cross section to prevent it fromrotating in the narrow slots 43!, 432 and thus it is tracked in theslots for vertical movement. The ends of the bar are bent over as shownin FIG. 11 in order to retain it longitudinally within the slots 43L432. The bar rests on the lowermost inner surfaces of the rings andexerts a downward force by gravity thereon. However, since the bar andthe rings are all free-floating in the device, both tend to ride up anddown as the movement and texture of the textile material dictate. Thebar in this embodiment is preferably made of an extremely lightweightmaterial and could even be made of plastic, since the forces involved intensioning the material are small normally. It could be made of steeland could even be rubber covered if desired, and of course, its weightwill vary depending on the material and dimensions of the bar, thusproviding a means for varying the tension imparted to the material.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 12 through 14 the dampening bar 430 isround in cross section. The diameter of the bar is such that it is insliding fit with the sides of the slots 431 and 432 FIGS. I2 and 13. Thebar can be retained in the tensioner body by providing the end wallswith blind slots such as the slot 431' shown in FIG. 14. In such a caseit might be necessary to make the body in more than one piece and thenassemble the pieces after the bar 430' has been inserted into the blindslots. Alternatively, the dampening bar 430' can be retained andweighted at one or both ends as shown in FIG. 12 by attaching weights450, 451 to the ends thereof by any suitable means. This approach isparticularly applicable for heavier denier material such as tire cord.

A further modification of this embodiment is shown in FIGS. l2 and 13wherein a pivot rod 460 is disposed in a hole 461 which passes throughthe walls of the body. The rod is disposed transversely in the wallseparating the rings. The rod is preferably thin and can be flexible ifdesired. A plurality of holes are provided so that the position of therod can be changed or in the alternative, additional rods can beprovided. The rod is positioned above the dampening bar 430 within therange of the barsexpected travel, that is within the upper limits of thetravel as defined by the slots 431, 432. In this position, the rod willinterfere with the upward movement of the bar and thereby further dampenthe movement of the rings.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials andarrangement of part which have been herein described and illustrated inorder to explain the nature of this invention, may be made by thoseskilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention asexpressed in the following claims.

It will further be understood that the Abstract of the Disclosure setforth above is intended to provide a nonlegal technical statement of thecontents of the disclosure in compliance with the Rules of Practice ofthe United States Patent Office, and is not intended to limit the scopeof the invention described and claimed herein.

I claim:

ll. Apparatus for controlling tension in a running strand of textilematerial comprising means forming a body member, means carried by saidbody member in fixed position relative to said body member forming aplurality of confining zones having surfaces spaced apart from eachother, a plurality of rings spaced apart from each other, each such ringbeing located in one of said confining zones for frictional contact withsaid strand, some of said surfaces of each of said zones being spacedradially outwardly of the ring within said zone to confine said ring,each ring having freedom for limited movement independently of the otherrings in substantially any direction within said confining zones, andguide means for guiding said strand to and from said body member andthrough said confining zones in such direction that each of said ringsis urged against a surface of its said confining zone and its tendencyto vibrate is thereby damped while said ring is concurrently infrictional contact with said running strand.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein means are provided foradjusting the position of said body member about an axis which passesthrough the planes of the confining zones.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein means are provided foradjusting the position of said body member endwise in a manner toposition one end higher than the other.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said guide means comprisesguide eyes attached to said body member with capacity for pivoting saidbody member to a plurality of fixed positions.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein means are provided forretarding the travel of the rings upwardly.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 5 wherein said means comprises anelongated member passing endwise through said body member and throughsaid rings.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 6 wherein said elongated member ismovable with respect to said body member and said rings.

8. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein protruding means areprovided in those portions of the sides of said body member which formsaid confining zones and which protrude inwardly into said confiningzones in interfering relationship to the movements of said rings in saidzones.

9. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein means are provided, in theevent of relaxation of tension of said strand, for stopping downwardgravity movement of said rings at predetermined locations and forstopping downward gravity movement of said strand at locations that arelocated above said predetermined locations. I

10. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein damping means are providedcontinuously urging said rings downwardly against said strand.

ll 1. The apparatus defined in claim it) wherein said damping means arespring urged against an outer surface of said rings.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 10 wherein said damping meanscomprise a weight supported by the inner surfaces of said rings.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 12 wherein said weight extendsthrough elongated openings in said body member and has capacity forlimited movement up and down therein, and wherein said elongatedopenings are provided with limit stop means arranged to limit downwardmovement of said rings in the event of relaxation of tension of saidstrand.

M. The invention of claim 1 wherein the means carried by said bodymember forming a plurality of confining zones comprises a plurality ofslots lying in substantially parallel planes and being spacedlongitudinally in said body between said guide means, said slots beingdisposed at an acute angle to the path of travel which said textilematerial would take while passing through said apparatus.

15. The invention of claim 14 wherein said slots are positioned so thatsaid rings are urged by gravity to lie against at least one side oftheir respected slots, said side being parallel to the plane containingthe radius of said ring.

1. Apparatus for controlling tension in a running strand of textilematerial comprising means forming a body member, means carried by saidbOdy member in fixed position relative to said body member forming aplurality of confining zones having surfaces spaced apart from eachother, a plurality of rings spaced apart from each other, each such ringbeing located in one of said confining zones for frictional contact withsaid strand, some of said surfaces of each of said zones being spacedradially outwardly of the ring within said zone to confine said ring,each ring having freedom for limited movement independently of the otherrings in substantially any direction within said confining zones, andguide means for guiding said strand to and from said body member andthrough said confining zones in such direction that each of said ringsis urged against a surface of its said confining zone and its tendencyto vibrate is thereby damped while said ring is concurrently infrictional contact with said running strand.
 2. The apparatus defined inclaim 1 wherein means are provided for adjusting the position of saidbody member about an axis which passes through the planes of theconfining zones.
 3. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein means areprovided for adjusting the position of said body member endwise in amanner to position one end higher than the other.
 4. The apparatusdefined in claim 1 wherein said guide means comprises guide eyesattached to said body member with capacity for pivoting said body memberto a plurality of fixed positions.
 5. The apparatus defined in claim 1wherein means are provided for retarding the travel of the ringsupwardly.
 6. The apparatus defined in claim 5 wherein said meanscomprises an elongated member passing endwise through said body memberand through said rings.
 7. The apparatus defined in claim 6 wherein saidelongated member is movable with respect to said body member and saidrings.
 8. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein protruding means areprovided in those portions of the sides of said body member which formsaid confining zones and which protrude inwardly into said confiningzones in interfering relationship to the movements of said rings in saidzones.
 9. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein means are provided,in the event of relaxation of tension of said strand, for stoppingdownward gravity movement of said rings at predetermined locations andfor stopping downward gravity movement of said strand at locations thatare located above said predetermined locations.
 10. The apparatusdefined in claim 1 wherein damping means are provided continuouslyurging said rings downwardly against said strand.
 11. The apparatusdefined in claim 10 wherein said damping means are spring urged againstan outer surface of said rings.
 12. The apparatus defined in claim 10wherein said damping means comprise a weight supported by the innersurfaces of said rings.
 13. The apparatus defined in claim 12 whereinsaid weight extends through elongated openings in said body member andhas capacity for limited movement up and down therein, and wherein saidelongated openings are provided with limit stop means arranged to limitdownward movement of said rings in the event of relaxation of tension ofsaid strand.
 14. The invention of claim 1 wherein the means carried bysaid body member forming a plurality of confining zones comprises aplurality of slots lying in substantially parallel planes and beingspaced longitudinally in said body between said guide means, said slotsbeing disposed at an acute angle to the path of travel which saidtextile material would take while passing through said apparatus. 15.The invention of claim 14 wherein said slots are positioned so that saidrings are urged by gravity to lie against at least one side of theirrespected slots, said side being parallel to the plane containing theradius of said ring.